Gravity pendulum clock escapement



Dec. 13, 1966 s. E. KOPLAR 3,290,874

GRAVITY PENDULUM CLOCK ESCAPEMENT Filed NOV. 20, 1964 1906' A meme-x United States Patent 3,290,874 GRAVITY PENDULUM CLOCK ESCAPEMENT Solomon Edward Koplar, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Timette, Inc., Chicago, III., a corporation of Illinois Filed Nov. 20, 1964, Ser. No. 412,815 1 Claim. (Cl. 58-124) This application is a continuation-in-part of a co-pending application Serial No. 297,546, filed July 25, 1963.

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in apendulum clock movement, and, more particularly, to a spring-driven clock movement which includes a battery-powered electric motor spring-winding mechanism.

A principal object of this invention is in the provision in an apparatus of this character of a novel means for connecting a free swinging pendulum to a spring driven battery-powered clock, which means permit the pendulum to assume a proper operating position notwithstanding the clocks position relative to a vertical plane.

A further object of this invention is in the provision in an apparatus of this character of an arrangement of parts for maintaining a clock power spring under coiled tension so that the unwinding thereof will operate the minute and hour hands of the clock and drive an escapement wheel to effect the proper oscillating movement of a pendulum. Y

A further object of this invention is in the provision in an apparatus of this character of an arrangement of parts for maintaining a clock power spring under coiled tension so that the unwinding thereof will operate the minute and hour hands of the clock and drive an escapement wheel to effect the proper oscillating movement of a pendulum.

Yet another object of this invention is in the provision in a mechanism of this character of an arrangement of parts which is simple in construction, economical in manufacture and which produces a pendulum-type clock mechanism which operates reliably and accurately.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings showing the preferred form of construction, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the pendulum clock mechanism;

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the new pendulum clock mechanism;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary. side elevational view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view of the train of clock gears and escapement wheel pendulum mechanism taken along line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a pendulum mounting arm; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary detailed sectional view showing the free connection between the pendulum and the escapement lever.

The battery-powered spring winding pendulum-type clock mechanism shown by the drawings and hereinafter described is adapted to be incorporated within a clock body of any size or shape. When I have not shown the specific clock body, it should be understood that such body would provide space to accept and position a D type battery which is the power source for the small electric motor included in our present mechanism.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, I show .a mounting plate 10 which has on its front wall a minute-hour gearing arrangement 11. This gearing arrangement 11 is adapted "ice to be operable upon a minute hand stem 12 (FIG. 3), and an hour hand sleeve 13 journaled thereon.

Adapted to be mounted in spaced relation with respect to the rear surface of the mounting plate 10 is a support plate 14. Between the support plate 14 and the mounting plate 10 is rotatably journaled a driven shaft 15.

Mounted on the driven shaft for rotation therewith is a driving gear 16, and a cover 17. One end of the shaft 15 extends through an enlarged opening 18 formed in the supporting plate 14 and externally of such opening 18, supports a dish-shaped drum 19 which is freely rotatable withrespect to the shaft 15. Also freely journaled on the exposed end of the shaft 15 is a gear wheel 20.

The gear wheel 20 has formed therein an arcuated slot 21 through which projects a connecting finger 22 carried bythe drum 19. The free end of the shaft 15 is journaled into a suitable bushing carried by a bridge plate 23 connected to and spaced from the support plate 14 by any suitable means such as by screws, as shown. This bridge plate 23 is provided with an aperture 24 positionedradially from the end of the shaft 15, a distance equal to the radial spacing of the arcuated slot 21 formed in the gear wheel 20, as shown in FIG. 3.

A yieldable finger 25 is carried by the bridge plate 23 and has a free end 26 projected through the aperture 24 so that the same lies in the path of travel of the connecting finger 22 in a manner and for a purpose disclosed and described in the co-pending application Serial No. 297,546.

By a suitable train of clock gears 27, as shown in FIG. 4, the spring driving gear 16 is connected to the minute-hour gears 11 so as to accomplish the proper rotation thereof. The driving gear 16 through the chain of clock gears 27 is also geared to an escapement wheel 28. This escapement wheel 28 is rotatably supported by a shaft 29 which is journaled between the walls of two mounting brackets 30 and 31. This mounting bracket 30 is conected to the base of the mounting plate 10 by screws, as seen in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4.

The above described clock operating apparatus is associated with an escapement mechanism which includes the escapement wheel 28 which is rotated through the train of clock gears 27, as well as an escapement arm 32 as shown in FIG. 5. The escapement arm 32 is fixedly mounted onto a shaft 33 which extends between and is rotatably carried by the wall of the mounting brackets 30 and 31, as seen in FIG. 3. Also mounted on the shaft 33 is a substantially U-shaped pallet plate 34. This pallet plate 34 provides laterally extending pallet pins 35 and 36. The lower end of the escapement arm 32 is provided with an opening 37. This opening 37 is so formed that the bottom wall 38 thereof is curved in a downward direction as shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6. Adapted to be connected to the escapement arm 32 is one end of the pendulum bar 39. The free end of the pendulum bar 39 is formed into a hook 40 which extends through the opening 37 and sits upon the curved bottom wall 38 thereof. As clearly shown in FIG. 6, the bar 39 is of a width less than the width of the opening 37 so that the hook end 40-tl1ereof is free to hang from the lower end of the escapement arm 32 through any perpendicular line with respect to the body 10 of the clock.

Thus in the event that the clock is not positioned in a vertical plane, the pendulum weight 41 which is adjustably carried by the pendulum bar 39 will, through force of gravity, cause the pendulum bar 39 to assume a perfect vertical position. The escapement arm 32 will, during its oscillating operation also assume the vertical plane of the pendulum bar 39, and properly function to operate the escapement mechanism of the clock so that the same keeps accurate time.

While I have illustrated and described the preferrd form of construction for carrying any invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. 1, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

A battery-powered spring-driven clock having a train of clock gears and an escapement mechanism having a geared escapement wheel rotated by the clock gears, said escapement mechanism including (a) a substantially =U-shaped pallet pin plate providing laterally extending spaced apart parallel pallet pins alternately engaging the geared escapement wheel,

(b) a pivot shaft extending parallel to said pallet pins and fixedly journalled through said pallet pin plate for pivotally supporting the same so that the pallet pins alternately engage the geared escapement wheel,

() an escapement arm fixedly journalled on said shaft in spaced parallel relation with respect to said U-shaped pallet pin plate,

(d) a rigid elongated pendulum bar having a width less than the width of said escapement arm and connected thereof for supporting a pendulum for said escapement mechannism,

(c) said escapement arm having an opening formed therein adjacent one end for freely receiving a corresponding end of said pendulum bar,

(f) said pendulum bar providing at its one end a hook projecting into said opening formed in said escapement arm for connecting the same together for free limited movement relative to each other,

(lg) said opening formed in said escapement arm having its bottom edge curved so as to provide a varying seat for said hook so that said pendulum bar may hang by gravity in a true vertical plane relative to said escapement arm,

(h) and a pendulum slidably supported on said pendulum bar for regulating the speed of oscillation thereof.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,049,862 8/ 196-2 Tokita et al. 58-4l FOREIGN PATENTS 837,079 4/ 1952 Germany.

RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner.

G. F. BAKER, Assistant Examiner. 

